


a moment away

by ceylontea



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Casual Sex, Fluff and Smut, Friends With Benefits, M/M, Mild D/S elements, Sexual Experimentation, Smut, bi grog, bottom grog, bros helping bros and all that, top gilmore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:14:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26053285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ceylontea/pseuds/ceylontea
Summary: shaun is exhausted and longing for a moment of escape. grog is struck by an epiphany and desperate to try something new...so he goes to find his most open, sensual, remarkable friend
Relationships: Shaun Gilmore/Grog Strongjaw
Comments: 10
Kudos: 87





	a moment away

**Author's Note:**

> this hardly has any plot, but i like thinking up different ways they might get together. also, since i did grog pov last time, it was gilmore's turn

Shaun was two drinks deep in his favourite bar, and he wasn’t quite buzzing yet, but the tension in his shoulders was beginning to ease.

He’d been too busy lately. Though Vecna was gone, there seemed no end to the work left in his wake. Vox Machina, the Tal’dorei council, and the religious leaders from Vasselheim were all working to pull things back together. Of course, in most places, they were still dealing with the aftermath of the Chroma Conclave as well—missing persons, trampled cities, thousands of displaced families. It was a lot to fix.

As if he didn’t have enough on his plate with his new involvement in social support, Shaun was also trying to stabilize his business. He couldn’t lose his shop, which still meant the world to him, as a long-held dream come to life.

He just needed a moment away from it all.

In the background, smooth music blended with distant conversations. The room, well-draped in velvet, was insulated for soft acoustics. It turned noise into a pleasant hum. Shaun really did love this place.

He had to carefully avoid his gaze drifting to one corner, however. Memories of Vax still lingered there—the gentle voice he loved, the gentle voice now silenced forever—telling him that there was someone else.

Shaun didn’t notice the door swinging open to let in a flurry of snow and a new arrival. He didn’t even look up until the scrape of a chair announced a presence at his table.

“Oh,” he said, brows lifting. “Grog, good evening. How lovely to see you.”

“Hello,” Grog said.

He was flushed, probably from the cold. The rush of blood made his cheeks pink beneath the slate pigment of his skin. It was fascinating, but Shaun was hardly distracted by it now. Grog was a man made to be admired. After so many years of friendship, he was accustomed to that fact.

However, Shaun _was_ a little concerned to see that Grog came with barely more than an old fur tossed around his shoulders, still shirtless underneath. Goliaths didn’t really feel the cold, but he _looked_ affected. He should have dressed for winter.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Grog said.

Shaun stopped frowning at his bare chest and offered him a languid little smile, raising the wineglass in his hand.

“Want a drink?” he asked. “I’ll buy something for you, big man.”

If anything, Grog’s cheeks looked darker now. Shaun waited for an answer.

“You don’t need to—”

“Ale?” he suggested.

Grog nodded sheepishly. Shaun waved down his favourite waiter and placed the order, setting the appropriate coins on the table. He could feel Grog’s eyes on him. Staring. Roving all over. Something must be wrong.

“I haven’t seen you in here for a long time,” Shaun said, by way of opening a conversation.

“Yes, well, I was looking for you.”

“Oh?”

He tried to guess what was coming by the look on Grog’s face. Hopeless. He never would have predicted what was about to happen.

Grog waited for his drink to arrive before he spoke again, hands shifting nervously. Thankfully, Shaun was patient. He swayed to the sound of the song playing behind them. He liked this one. It was sweet and simple and only a touch melancholy. Enough to give it a fascinating edge without bringing out despair.

When the ale arrived, they clinked glasses and drank together. Grog finished first, taking only one gulp, as if for courage. Then he looked Shaun right in the eye.

“You wanna fuck me?” he asked.

Shaun choked on his mouthful of wine.

He saw a nervous smile twitch over Grog’s face, honest enough that he figured this wasn’t a joke. He snatched a napkin from the table and dabbed his beard, using the moment to compose himself, to be careful in his answer.

“Are you asking _if_ I want to fuck you, like you suspect I might be attracted to you, or are you asking me _to_ fuck you?”

“Well,” Grog’s brow furrowed. “I’m asking if you want to fuck me _because_ I’d like to ask you to fuck me next. You know, after you say yes. I hope.”

“Ah.”

The single syllable sounded so small, so incomplete against the tide of racing thoughts in Shaun’s mind. He could feel his face grow warmer. It wouldn’t be obvious against his skin tone though. Not like Grog’s pink cheeks.

 _How strange,_ he thought. _That’s Grog_ blushing _. It’s not just the weather._

And Shaun’s eyes flickered down to the second subtle marker of what he’d assumed was cold. Grog’s bare nipples. Hard.

He swallowed.

“May I ask why?” he asked. He tried to keep his tone casual. As though this was a discussion the two friends had every day.

Grog’s face scrunched in bewilderment.

“Well, lately, I’d been noticing that maybe I’m not _just_ into women? It’s not something I- I never really considered it before. Because I _am_ into women, clearly. And my dad and my uncle only ever liked women. So I never thought about _me_ liking more. But now…”

Shaun’s face was softening into a gentle smile. “Now?”

“Now I’m starting to realise there were a _bunch_ of others of all sorts of genders that I might’ve liked.” Grog sighed. “I just didn’t know what it was though, at the time. I’m not a feelings guy.”

“It’s not always easy,” Shaun said, “to work out what you want.”

It took all his effort to keep from glancing sideways, at the corner where Vax had let him down.

“And-and that’s not to say I don’t have a lot going on up here,” Grog said quickly, tapping his temple, straightening his posture like his did when he was trying to seem regal and important. “I’m very smart.”

“Of course,” Shaun agreed. “You _are_.”

Once, he might have only said that to be kind, humouring this strange man with all his quirks and clumsy social moments. But now he’d known Grog long enough now to see his unique sort of intelligence, as sharp and valuable as anyone else’s.

Perhaps _more_ valuable, when balanced with his surprisingly soft heart.

“But I think I need help this time,” Grog continued. “You know, with working out… if this is something.”

“And you came to me?”

“Well, you’re the most open friend I have who’s also a guy. And who I’m-who I think- who I could definitely be… into… like that.” He tried to breeze past it quickly. “And you know about these things. You’re, like, super wise.”

Shaun almost laughed. He wasn’t called wise very often—with his unrealistic, wild dreams of starting his shops in Tal’dorei, and his decision to sponsor a group called “The SHIT’s” purely because Vax was cute, and the time he went to face a dragon by himself, and—

He cut off his own thoughts before he embarrassed himself. There were so many examples.

“That’s very flattering, Grog.”

“I just need someone to help me prove it to myself, to overcome my, what was the word Pike used? Inter-interning?”

“Internalised?”

“Yes! Internalised bullshit. And I trust you. To be that person.”

Shaun’s chest grew warm with affection.

“So,” Grog determinedly met his gaze again. “Do you want to?”

Shaun studied him, trying to gauge whether this _was_ a sensible decision. Grog had a very sincere face. It wasn’t hard to read. In fact, looking at him was like staring into a warm, open fire, colour and shadow all clear and bright. Passionate. When Shaun searched for desire in those eyes, he found a strangely bare, aching need. It was a new yearning, just uncovered. Yearning for _him_.

His pulse quickened.

Hadn’t he wanted to relax tonight? Wasn’t Grog the perfect friend for this kind of casual encounter?

“I’ll give it a go, my dear.”

Grog’s smile was blinding. He stood from the table, almost knocking it down.

“Can we go to your place?”

“Oh, definitely,” Shaun said.

He dug out more money, a tip for the table, and left his drink unfinished. He offered his elbow to Grog. They had walked through Emon like this once before, arm in arm, but Scanlan had been with them that time, and it had been daylight. The mood was completely different now. It was charged with expectation.

The minutes of their walk drew out too long. Their breath misted in the air, mingling. Snow caught in Shaun’s hair. The tension was palpable—the sharp taste of it reminiscent of magic, active and alive.

Shaun didn’t bother reaching for his key when he got home. He burst through the entrance with a simple spell and kicked off his shoes. Grog followed eagerly, almost slamming the door in his haste.

Shaun could feel how nervous his friend was, despite the excitement. So, as usual, he took the lead. He flung off his overcoat and turned to Grog, smiling gently. With another flick of his hand, he set dim light aflame across his living room lamps.

Grog’s lips parted in a gasp of need.

Suddenly, Shaun remembered his outfit under the layers. He wore a plunging neckline today, revealing skin and curling hair. The flow of fabric was fitted around his shoulders and his hips, emphasising the broad curves of his shape.

“Alright, dear boy, are you sure you want this?” Shaun asked, stepping into Grog’s space, laying warm hands on his muscular chest. “Because I know I do.”

“Please,” Grog whispered.

Shaun captured his lips in their first kiss. Somehow, it felt natural. It felt easy. There was only a moment of honey-sweet hesitance before Grog gave himself over to it.

And Grog was good at this. Of course, that shouldn’t have been a surprise. But perhaps it was simply the _tenderness_ that brought forth so much astonishment. Grog’s large hands settled at Shaun’s waist like he was holding onto something precious—something that might shatter.

Shaun would have to see if he could draw out more passion later on. He wanted to know what that grip felt like in its entirety.

Suddenly, his mind was clouded with a dozen little fantasies he’d never let himself indulge. Grog had always been hot, after all. They’d even flirted, in that casual way that convinced them both they were just joking.

Had there always been something more, beneath that?

Shaun’s hands traced across the smooth planes of Grog’s back. The definition there was ridiculous, like he could feel every piece and part of this man, and all the strength bound up tight within him. It made his thoughts a little wilder. He bit down on Grog’s lip, drawing out a moan.

“Come with me,” he coaxed.

He tugged Grog into the next room and pushed him down onto the bed. Grog clearly wanted to cling to him, but allowed his body to be moved into place, as Shaun stared down.

“Don’t stop,” Grog growled.

“Just admiring the view,” Shaun assured him.

Grog puffed his chest out proudly, though his hands were still dancing impatiently at Shaun’s waist, eager to tug him closer. Shaun ran one hand down his torso, briefly brushing a nipple with his thumb. He trailed back up and undid the clasp on Grog’s fur. He watched it fall away.

Then Shaun pushed forward and straddled Grog’s lap, locking him into another passionate kiss, both hands on his face this time.

Grog growled, surging up as best he could, almost toppling their shared weight backward. But he was strong enough to manage them both. Shaun barely needed to tense his thighs.

As the seconds ticked by, Grog’s mouth began to travel. It went, a little sloppy, across a cheek, and then found its way to the edge of Shaun’s jaw. His beard was scratchy, his lips soft, all the contrasts swirling in perfect sensation.

“Fuck, Grog, you’re good at this.”

“I know.” Grog’s voice was muffled.

Shaun let out a breathless laugh.

“You cocky asshole.”

“Mm, perhaps I need to be taught my manners.”

Shaun chuckled again. He used his hands to direct Grog’s face down to the place where his neck met his shoulder, and then further, along collarbones whose shape had been highlighted by his gasping. For a moment, Grog’s tongue touched the dip at the base of his throat. Then a graze of teeth came up to find his adam’s apple.

“Do you like that?” Shaun asked.

“Yes,” Grog gasped. “I mean, I’ve slept with women with them too, but I like every part of you especially much.” He pulled back, enough to look at Shaun’s beard. He reached his fingers to trace the outline. “This too.”

“Yours is wonderful as well,” Shaun assured him. He kissed him. Once. Twice. Again. “I marvel over how you grew it.”

“Oh,” Grog looked a little sheepish. “Actually, it was magic.”

Shaun smirked. “Really?”

“Really.” Grog mustered his most smug expression. “Looks hot though, right?”

“Very much so.”

This time, Shaun attacked Grog’s neck with affection. Grog began to gasp at a higher pitch. His hands tightened. His spine arched, head tilting to offer the best angle he could, like his body was a gift freely given.

Shaun settled lower in his lap, and felt the clearest sign of Grog’s pleasure, heavy against his thigh.

“ _Oh,_ ” he sighed. “You _are_ a big man.”

Grog’s hips stuttered in response to the praise. Shaun’s hands drifted slowly down, pulling aside the fabric in his way and gently palming the length of Grog’s cock. He hummed in sheer appreciation, while Grog gasped against his skin.

“W-wait,” Grog managed in a gravelly voice.

Shaun pulled back, concerned at first. But Grog reached up and began to tug away the layers of purple draped around Shaun’s body, like he wanted to see as well. No. Like he _needed_ to see.

Grog groaned happily as inches of brown skin were revealed. He traced Shaun’s nipples, so deeply coloured and large compared with his own. He touched the soft roll of Shaun’s belly, traced the trail of dark curls down, lower, lower, until finally, he gripped Shaun’s cock in his hand.

Fuck, his palms were huge. Enveloping.

“You’re very thick,” Grog managed weakly.

“Thank you, darling.”

Grog stared up at him, grey eyes like stormy skies, shadowed with desperation.

“Grog,” Shaun murmured. “When you asked me to fuck you, did you mean _literally—”_

“Yes,” Grog said, before he finished speaking. “Yes, exactly that. I want you to- I need you to wreck me.”

Shaun couldn’t help the pleased noise that escaped him.

“I need you to claim me,” Grog begged. “Entirely. Prove to me I’m right. Prove to me that I can _have_ this.”

Shaun responded with another kiss, suddenly fierce and possessive, messy and unapologetic. His hands ran down Grog’s back and palmed over his ass, feeling the toned muscle there, the delicious full roundness of him. Grog whined.

Shaun pulled back, standing on his own feet again.

“Turn over, beautiful,” he murmured.

Grog rolled eagerly, ass in the air, while Shaun dug in his bedside table for his lube.

“Fuck me,” Grog pleaded impatiently, watching over his shoulder as Shaun dipped his fingers generously into his jar.

“So demanding,” Shaun scolded.

He returned to his place behind Grog, letting his hands trace the shape of that ass again, so lovingly. Such perfection deserved a little time, even if Grog did arch longingly into his lightest touch. He tossed a few cantrips between them, an easy form of protection

Then he traced his fingers between soft cheeks, one gently circling the entrance to Grog’s ass. Grog gasped. His hands clutched the bedsheets in anticipation.

Shaun climbed back onto the bed, kneeling right behind his dear friend. He dipped his first finger inside. Grog pushed into his touch, and Shaun began to carefully tease him open.

As time spun past, he unravelled wonderful noises and pitchy curses and, increasingly, desperate begging.

“So, Grog,” Shaun said slowly, “tell me about the other people you were attracted to.”

“Huh?”

“You said there were a few crushes that helped you realise you wanted this. Who?”

“Oh,” Grog gasped again as Shaun adjusted their position with a firm hand on his hips. “Um. I think, Kern.”

“The Hammer?” Shaun asked, having heard the stories.

“Mm, yeah, we- we fought really good and I- I liked him. I thought about him a lot.”

“Was he very strong?”

“Yeah,” Grog gasped. “He was… broad as you… but not as nice.”

“Nice?”

“All soft and warm. Fuck, Gilmore, I—”

Shaun chuckled. He eased another finger in. He was up to three now.

“Who else?”

“Um, maybe, Arkhan. Um. And, L-Lionel, _oh_ —”

Shaun leaned down and pressed a kiss to his shoulder.

“Yes?” he prompted.

“I can’t remember.”

“Hm?”

“I can’t remember anyone but you,” Grog whined. He pressed further into Shaun’s touch, rocking their bodies. “Gilmore, you’re the only- I can’t- please—”

Shaun was abruptly, entirely overwhelmed. To have this much control was irresistible.

“Fuck Grog,” he moaned.

He withdrew his hand and Grog hissed his disappointment at the loss of sensation. But it was quickly replaced. Shaun gently eased himself inside, hips jerking in response to the pleasant warmth—the tightening desperation of the ass he’d opened up for himself.

“ _Gilmore,_ ” Grog whimpered.

Shaun had intended to build slow, but the pace was quickening with each desperate sputter of Grog’s hips. Grog’s hands were entirely fisted in the sheets. Shaun’s moved roughly across his body, clutching his waist to pull him close, sliding down his stomach, and working his cock as they moved, bound together.

His hand felt fuller than it ever had before.

Grog seemed entirely lost to his feelings now. His sharp breathing was hardly coherent. He bucked once more and came, all at once, over Shaun’s tight grip, over the sheets. He gasped with a few quick stutters of his hips, and collapsed against the bed.

Shaun reached his own climax just moments after. He braced himself carefully against the boneless body beneath him, crying out in loud abandon at the intensity of pleasure.

When he finished, he extracted himself. He flopped onto the bed beside Grog, curved to face him. Grog turned his head to look.

“That was amazing,” he said, voice a little hoarse.

“Oh, you were a delight as well,” Shaun assured him.

He reached a gentle hand and cradled Grog’s face, pulled him in for the softest, sweetest kiss. Grog leaned into it blissfully. He draped an arm across Shaun’s body.

“Did I answer your question?” Shaun checked.

“Fuck, yes,” Grog’s grin was blinding. “I _so_ want to do that again.”

Shaun hesitated before his next question. Despite his confidence, there had always been a tender part of him, a self-conscious side.

“With me?” he managed.

“Of course!” Grog’s open honesty was exactly what he needed to hear. “I couldn’t imagine anything better than _that._ ”

Shaun kissed him again, long and thankful and happy. And Grog smiled against his lips.


End file.
